Former Israeli Defense Minister: Ceasefire Agreement with Hezbollah is a Surrender… They’re Just Mocking Us
Avigdor Lieberman, former Israeli Defense Minister, head of the “Yisrael Beiteinu” party, and a member of the Knesset, described the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon as a “surrender agreement to Hezbollah.”
In an interview with “Yedioth Ahronoth” newspaper’s Hebrew site (Walla), Lieberman referred to the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which came into effect early Wednesday morning, as a “surrender agreement.”
Lieberman stated,
“This agreement is akin to the one with Hamas since 2018; it’s the same principle: Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) is buying short-term peace at the expense of severe long-term damage to national security.”
He continued, “What we’re seeing is that despite the Israeli army’s warnings and its demand not to return to the villages along the confrontation line, all the Lebanese – Shia residents and, of course, disguised Hezbollah members – have already started returning… They simply whistle at the Israeli army’s warnings and return in convoys heading south,” adding, “If Hezbollah starts reinforcing, building, and producing precision weapons or all types of drones in the Bekaa and Baalbek, we won’t be allowed to operate there,” he claimed.
Lieberman further explained,
“Yesterday, the entire air force was chasing one drone in the north, and in 5 to 6 years, they will have 40,000 drones. They’ve started production,” and continued, “The Iranians aren’t hiding either; they will work again to arm them and provide them with money. As long as Hezbollah does not give up on the threat and destruction of Israel, it’s impossible to reach an agreement with them.”
According to Lieberman, the government has learned nothing from October 7, adding, “Nothing (learned), exactly the same concept… Moreover, today an editorial was published in ‘Al-Akhbar,’ a newspaper affiliated with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and we need to see how they view this… They’re just mocking us… They say it’s the same resolution 1701.”
The former Israeli Defense Minister pointed out that the ministers voted on the agreement yesterday without having seen it, saying, “Why didn’t the Prime Minister publish the agreement?
What is he hiding? Netanyahu did not even distribute it to government members. He read it to
them, and it’s not clear whether he read the whole agreement or just parts of it… This is simply
unacceptable. Usually, ministers are presented with the document to read themselves… not just
have the Prime Minister read it to them. Also, the Prime Minister’s attitude shows a lack of respect
for the ministers… He called them together, and they waited for an hour and a half. In the middle,
he left to speak with the heads of authorities, showing contempt for both ministers and heads of
authorities.”
He continued, “He (Netanyahu) is good at marketing, but the essence cannot be changed… and he says ‘We had to reach an agreement to focus on Iran’… He was Prime Minister for 17 years, what did he do in those 17 years? Who prevented him from focusing?”
Lieberman noted that if he were Defense Minister, they would not have reached this agreement,
stating, “It would have been better to inform them unilaterally that we are leaving, because this
agreement currently only restricts us and does not restrict the other side at all.”
Early today, the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah came into effect
after both sides agreed to a deal mediated by the United States and France.
Residents of southern Lebanon flocked back to their villages and towns as soon as the ceasefire
came into effect, with heavy vehicle traffic despite the Israeli army’s warnings against returning.
Source: “Yedioth Ahronoth” + RT
